Game operators, and in particular wagering game operators, sometimes operate the same game through different channels. For example, a game may be offered through a land-based channel using one or more land-based electronic gaming machines (EGM), such as may be found in betting shops, adult gaming centers, casinos and retail stores. The game may also be offered online, for example over the Internet. Unlike the land-based channel, which require a player's physical presence at the EGM, players of the online channel can play anytime and anywhere (assuming one has Internet access).
Cross-channel gaming refers to a gaming system architecture in which a player can play the same game in different gaming environments (e.g. in a browser and also on a mobile device).
Problems of managing computerized gaming platforms in cross-channel environments have been recognized in the conventional art and various techniques have been developed to provide solutions, for example:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,811,486 discloses a system and method for maintaining a player's enhanced game play state in a gaming environment. In particular, the player may restore enhanced game play states from previously played games either from the same game device or from another game device, the enhanced game play states typically being enhancements to casino games and including reel nudges, alternate pay table use, and the like.
United States Patent Application No. 2004/0219967 discloses a game of chance involving a progression of events conducted on one or more gaming machines. After receiving a wager from a player at a gaming machine, play of the game is initiated. If the game is paused, the status of the paused game is stored at a central database linked to and remote from the gaming machine. This game status is associated with a personal identifier of the player. To continue play of the game beginning from a point at which the game was paused, the personal identifier is provided to the central database via the same or another gaming machine and the game status associated with the personal identifier is retrieved from the central database.
United States Patent Application No. 2011/0151978 discloses a system for managing transfer of player rights from a first gaming system to a second gaming system comprising a first gaming system comprising a first data structure adapted for storing a set of parameters representing player rights a second gaming system in data communication with the first gaming system; and comprising a second data structure and a synchronization mechanism adapted to synchronize the storage of said player rights parameters in the first and second data structures.
United States Patent Application No. 2015/0170473 discloses a method for enabling a player to use tickets printed at a casino when the player wants to play games in an on-line casino associated with the land-based casino using a virtual ticket system. The method includes: installing a mobile application for the virtual ticket system on a player's mobile device; registering the player with the virtual ticket system using a mobile number of the mobile device; sending a validation key to the mobile number to validate the mobile device; enabling the player to play a game on a gaming machine at the land-based casino; after the player has completed game play in the land-based casino, providing the player with an opportunity to create an electronic ticket that is usable in the on-line casino; and enabling the player to engage in game play in the on-line casino using the player's mobile device or a desktop computer platform.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,469,798 discloses a computerized gaming system operable in a landbased gaming mode controlled by a landbased gaming control unit and in an on-line gaming mode controlled by an on-line gaming control unit operating independently of the landbased gaming control unit, and a method of operating thereof. The method comprises obtaining by the landbased gaming control unit an information related to a player, the information indicative, at least, of said player's balance with regard to the landbased gaming mode. The method further comprises, responsive to the player's switching from the landbased gaming mode to on-line gaming mode, electronically communicating the most updated information indicative, at least, of said player's balance with regard to the landbased gaming mode from the landbased control unit to the on-line control unit controlling the on-line gaming mode, thereby enabling said player to participate in the on-line playing mode.
United States Patent Application No. 2013/0130782 discloses systems and operations for a distributed bonus game feature for wagering game systems. In one example, a wagering game may award a bonus game to a player. A delay period is set for the bonus game. The delay period and other details regarding the bonus game are persistently stored on a paper ticket or in a database on a wagering game server. The bonus game may be initiated (after the delay period) on a different wagering game machine than the machine that awarded the bonus game. In a second example, funding for a bonus game for a player may be determined in accordance with a random number generator on a wagering game machine currently occupied by a player. If the player moves to a different machine, output from a random number generator on the new machine may be used to determine continued funding for the bonus game.
The references cited above teach background information that may be applicable to the presently disclosed subject matter. Therefore the full contents of these publications are incorporated by reference herein where appropriate for appropriate teachings of additional or alternative details, features and/or technical background.
General Description
One of the ways that game operators have found to enrich the gaming experience is to offer game campaigns which may be provided (under certain conditions) to a given player during a game. However, in cross-channel gaming environments there remain challenges to integrate game campaigns between autonomously operated gaming platforms. For example, there is a need for a technical solution enabling reflecting a certain game play achievement reached by a player upon playing in one of the gaming platforms (e.g. a certain rank or level reached in an online game) in subsequent game play in another, autonomously operating gaming platform.
As used herein, a “gaming platform” includes at least one computer comprising a game engine.
As used herein, two gaming platforms, each comprising one or more game engines, are considered to operate “autonomously” when the one or more game engines of one platform operate independently from the one or more game engines of the other one, and when a player identification (player ID) that uniquely identifies a given player on one of the two platforms is not associated with the given player on the other platform.
Non-limiting examples of non-autonomous operating of two gaming platforms include:                a first online gaming platform hosts the game Tetris™ for web browser clients while a second online gaming platform hosts Tetris™ for mobile app clients. Both platforms share a common game engine and a common database capable to associate a player's ID with the player's credentials provided via any of the platforms (e.g. telephone's ID provided when using the mobile platform and computer's ID provided when using the regular web browser);        a first online gaming platform hosts the game Tetris™ for web browser clients while a second online gaming platform hosts Tetris™ for mobile app clients. Each platform independently executes respective game engine(s). However, the platforms share a player-related database so that a player can log in to either gaming platform with the same player ID and/or a player can log in to each platform with platform-specific player ID, while the database associates both platform-specific IDs with the same player;        a casino operates a number of different game terminals, which are capable of executing the same or different games. Each game terminal independently executes a local game engine. All terminals share a common player-related database so that each terminal is capable of accepting a player ID usable to access player-related data (e.g. credits available to the player, etc.).        
In accordance with certain aspects of the currently disclosed subject matter, there is provided a method of operating a first computerized gaming platform. The method comprises: enabling data communication between the first computerized gaming platform and a second computerized gaming platform with the help of an inter-platform wagering module (WM), the second computerized gaming platform operating autonomously from the first computerized gaming platform; obtaining at the first gaming platform data indicative of a unique player identification (player ID) associated with a given player at the second gaming platform, and forwarding, via the enabled data communication, the obtained data indicative of player ID to the second gaming platform; requesting from the second gaming platform the most updated player-related data corresponding to the player ID and obtaining, with the help of the WM, the player-related data; and executing by the first gaming platform one or more game-related campaigns for the given player in accordance with the obtained player-related data.
In accordance with other aspects of the currently disclosed subject matter, there is provided a processor-based inter-platform wagering module (WM) configured to operate in conjunction with a first computerized gaming platform and a second computerized gaming platform, the platforms configured to operate autonomously one of the other. The WM can be configured to establish data communication between the first gaming platform and the second gaming platform; obtain at the first gaming platform data indicative of a unique player identification (player ID) associated with a given player at the second gaming platform, and forward, via the established data communication, the obtained data indicative of player ID to the second gaming platform; request from the second gaming platform the most updated player-related data corresponding to the player ID and obtain the player-related data; and enable execution by the first gaming platform of one or more game-related campaigns for the given player in accordance with the obtained player-related data.
In accordance with other aspects of the currently disclosed subject matter, there is provided an electronic gaming machine (EGM) comprising a game engine adaptable to execute a game-related campaign for a player; and an inter-platform wagering module (WM) configured to operatively couple the EGM to an autonomously operated online gaming platform having stored therein player-related data associated with a player and informative of a game-related campaign to execute for the associated player. The EGM is configured to query, using the WM, the online gaming platform for player-related data associated with a given player; obtain, using the WM, player-related data from the online gaming platform in response to said query; and adapt the game engine in accordance with the obtained player-related data to execute a game-related campaign for the given player.
In accordance with other aspects of the currently disclosed subject matter, there is provided an offline gaming platform comprising an electronic gaming machine (EGM) central server operatively coupled to one or more EGM clients, the EGM central server comprising an inter-platform wagering module (WM) configured to establish data communication between the offline gaming platform and an online gaming platform, the two platforms operating autonomously one of the other; obtain at the offline gaming platform data indicative of a unique player identification (player ID) associated with a given player at the online gaming platform, and forward, via the established data communication, the obtained data indicative of player ID to the online gaming platform; request from the online gaming platform the most updated player-related data corresponding to the player ID and obtain the player-related data; and enable execution by the offline gaming platform of one or more game-related campaigns for the given player in accordance with the obtained player-related data.
In accordance with further aspects of the currently disclosed subject matter, and optionally in combination with other aspects, the request for the player-related data can be made in response to at least one predetermined triggering event selected from the group consisting of: the player logging into the first gaming platform; a determination of an availability of suitable means of communication with the second gaming platform; the player selecting a predefined game to play on the first gaming platform; and an event predefined by logic of a game being played on the first gaming platform.
In accordance with further aspects of the currently disclosed subject matter, and optionally in combination with other aspects, the player-related data can be indicative, at least, of one or more tags associated with the given player in the second gaming platform and/or one or more wagering requirement rules associated with the given player in the second gaming platform and/or the given player's status in one or more campaigns available to the given player in the second gaming platform and/or data indicative of one or more messages to be communicated to the given player.
In accordance with further aspects of the currently disclosed subject matter, and optionally in combination with other aspects, the WM can be configured to continuously obtain, with respect to the given player, game-related information at the first gaming platform; track a bonus-related status of the given player in accordance with the game-related information and the wagering requirement rules; when the bonus-related status meets predefined criteria, calculate a wagering bonus in accordance with the wagering requirement rules; and provide data indicative of the calculated wagering bonus to a game engine on the first gaming platform.
In accordance with further aspects of the currently disclosed subject matter, and optionally in combination with other aspects, the first gaming platform can be an offline gaming platform or an online gaming platform and the second gaming platform can be an online gaming platform. The WM can be comprised in and/or integrated with the first gaming platform, second gaming platform, or separate from the first and second gaming platforms. The first gaming platform can be an electronic gaming machine (EGM), or it can comprise an EGM central server operatively coupled to one or more EGM clients. The WM can be comprised in the EGM central server.
Among advantages of certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter is the provided ability of an offline game to use player's data stored in conjunction with the online game and to execute a common campaign as would be executed for the player when playing the online game.
Among further advantages of certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter is the ability to enable an offline game to execute the common campaign in absence of a persistent communication link with the online gaming platform.
Among further advantages of certain embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter is the ability for a game operator to support a cross-channel gaming experience by enabling campaigns or features unlocked for a player in one gaming platform to be used by the player in a different gaming platform operating autonomously from the first gaming platform.